Amateur Radio Field Day returns to Callaway Community Hospital

Event allows public to learn about ham radio, operators to simulate disaster operations

Amateur radio practitioners, enthusiasts and aficionados will have a chance to meet yet again at this year’s Ham Radio Field Day.

The event, hosted by the Callaway Amateur Radio League (CARL), will run from 1 p.m. Saturday to 1 p.m. Sunday at the end of Amateur Radio Week, sponsored by the American Radio Relay League.

CARL’s approximately 20 ham radio operators will join about 35,000 nationwide for the event, which allows the public to visit and learn more about radio while its operators simulate the field setup and around-the-clock hours they would experience broadcasting during an emergency.

“Very often, ham radio becomes involved in natural disaster, weather or even terrorist events,” CARL member David Mueller said. “After the Boston Marathon, amateur radio got involved helping make emergency calls because cell phone service shut down, so people like us can provide backup communications in things like that.”

Field Day will be set up at the Callaway Community Hospital’s picnic shelter south of the ER entrance parking lot. The public is invited to visit for an information booth, and can also watch or even make calls with the help of a licensed operator.